What Is a Government Shutdown and Will It Happen Today?

As you’re probably aware, Congress is (hopefully) scrambling to avoid a government shutdown today. If the Senate kills the House-approved budget bill (which is almost certain) and pass their own bill (which wouldn’t delay the Affordable Healthcare Act), then the House will have to rush to either accept that bill, deny it or offer a compromise. Of those options, the last is the likeliest, but with both parties vowing to stick to their guns on this one, a government shutdown is looking probable.

Here’s what that means: certain government offices will be put on hold until a compromise is reached. Some of those offices include national parks, federal museums, a few overseas offices and IRS call centers. More troubling, nearly 80,000 federal workers will be furloughed without pay. They could be compensated after the shutdown is resolved, but it isn’t guaranteed. And perhaps most troubling of all is the potential affect a government shutdown could have on the economy. If things are quickly resolved, the impact will be pretty minimal. Otherwise, things could get dicey.

It’s all just another example of the Democratic process doing (more or less) what it was made to do …